Farmer ploughs up freshly paved asphalt with Ursus tractor in Gliwice, caught red-handed by police

A farmer in the Upper Silesia region used a tractor and plough to destroy approximately 200 metres of newly laid road surface before being blocked by construction workers and arrested.

Unusual Roadworks and Construction Site Intervention

An unusual turn of events in road construction occurred in Upper Silesia, where a man driving an Ursus tractor drove a plough onto a newly paved surface and damaged about 200 metres of the roadway. The farmer’s arbitrary actions were blocked at the last moment by construction workers who placed heavy equipment in his path. The man was caught red-handed, detained, and will face the prosecutor’s office, while road authorities have already issued an official statement on the matter.

The farmer who ploughed up the freshly laid asphalt on Rybacka Street in Ostropa was detained, according to the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gliwice. The man is scheduled to be questioned on Saturday.

Police Details and Prosecutor’s Hearing

According to officers’ findings, the farmer drove his Ursus tractor onto the freshly laid asphalt on Friday afternoon and used his plough to damage approximately 200 metres of the roadway.

– He was prevented from causing further damage to the road by construction workers who positioned construction machinery in such a way that they did not allow him to continue driving. Police officers arrived at the scene and detained the man red-handed – reported senior supervisor Marzena Szwed from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Gliwice.

She indicated that the farmer is to be questioned on Saturday by the Gliwice-West District Prosecutor’s Office.

Municipal Road Authority Statement on Road Ownership

The Municipal Roads Authority in Gliwice issued a statement denying information suggesting that Rybacka Street in Ostropa was half owned by the local government and half by the farmer.

– The road is entirely the property of the City of Gliwice. It is not a private road, nor a road of which any part belongs to a private individual. (…) Suggestions that the lack of consent from a private owner had any impact on the implementation of the renovation or the execution of the asphalt surface are also untrue – indicated the Municipal Roads Authority in Gliwice.

Ostropa is a district of Gliwice. It has belonged to the city since 1975, yet it has partially retained its rural character, including in its architecture and traditions.